


Two to Tango

by lulextra



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, dance teacher au, eve polastri really cannot dance, will get more spicy as we go along i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:13:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24075007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulextra/pseuds/lulextra
Summary: Eve Polastri really cannot dance, in fact she has no intention of ever trying to.Perhaps meeting Latin Russian Dance Champion Oksana Astankova could be the only thing to change her mind?
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 11
Kudos: 76





	Two to Tango

“Darling?”

“Mhm?” Eve hums, her eyes not straying away from the notes she’s going through.

“Don’t-“ there’s a brief pause before Niko slowly finishes his sentence “be mad ok?”.

This gets Eve’s attention. Niko rarely does anything to annoy her, he’s too nice for that. If anything that’s the only annoying thing about him. Sometimes Eve doesn’t want nice, sometimes she wants something a bit different, a bit _more._

“I may or may not have signed us up for some dance lessons, starting this Friday”.

“WHAT!?”

The notes tumble to the floor and airily scatter across the carpet out of order.

Eve doesn’t seem to have noticed though. She’s too busy staring at Niko open mouthed. Niko winces and swallows thickly.

It’s safe to say that Eve really cannot dance. In fact she does everything in her power to avoid such a situation. That’s not to say that she doesn’t envy people who weren’t born with two left feet, or people who were but have enough confidence to get up and make a fool of themselves anyway.

Eve sighs. “Why?”

“The annual end of year school dinner is coming up, although I know you like to ignore its existence up until the very last minute. I thought just once, we might be able to get up and have a little dance, not be the only couple left sitting and bored out of our minds. I figured if there was going to be any chance of that you might feel slightly more comfortable with a couple of dance lessons first?”.

Niko smiles hopefully although deep down he already knows what the answer is going to be.

There’s a long pause and seconds feel like minutes.

Eve chews on her bottom lip, she’s positively furious. How dare Niko book such a thing without consulting her first. She may also be slightly impressed. This isn’t like Niko to take initiative and do anything to go against his wife’s wishes. Simply going ahead and making the decision for her means the idea is more likely to work. How authoritative of him-

“Eve?”

Interrupted from her train of thought she glances up and fixes Niko with a hard look.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve already had to pay?”

“Afraid so” Niko grins.

Eve groans. Well now there was no question. She would simply have to force herself to go. Eve Polastri does not like wasting money.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Eve couldn’t sleep. She had exactly two days for the earth to swallow her whole so that she didn’t have to go to the stupid dance class. Sighing in defeat she leans across the side of the bed and takes her laptop. Curiosity had got the better of her and she felt the sudden urge to take a look at the website for the class. She felt stupid even typing ‘Two to Tango’ into google. She scoffs, what a cheesy name.

The air was almost knocked out of her lungs when the page had finished loading.

‘Learn to dance with Oksana Astankova 3x Latin Russian champion and 1x Latin World champion’. Impressive was the word that immediately sprung to mind and it wasn’t the only impressive thing about the homepage. There, in all her glory, was a full length photo of Oksana herself. Clad in a form fitting black dress which sported a leg slit which surely should be illegal Eve mused. She must be at least 6 ft. Her honey blonde hair is held together in a tight bun. Light brown eyes gaze back at her. Eve swallows. Is it possible to be intimidated by a photo? She sunk back into the pillows. This woman had everything she didn’t. Confidence, astounding beauty, a body to die for. Eve had never been a confident person and now she was expected to make a fool of herself in front of someone who wouldn’t look out of place on a catwalk in any major city in the world?

If sleep was out of the question before, it certainly was now.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“What do I even wear for this stupid thing?” Eve huffs, throwing a pullover onto the bed in frustration.

“I don’t have any suitable clothes to go dancing in and you know it Niko”

Niko smiles amusedly at his wife.

“Stop stressing so much, Oksana mentioned briefly on the phone about wearing anything comfortable, we’re not performing for anyone but ourselves, it’s just a relaxed spot of tutoring that’s all, you’ll be fine”. What is meant to be a reassuring rub of the arm is quickly batted away by Eve.

“I can’t not stress, you know how dancing makes me feel, let alone in front of a bloody dance champion who will be actually judging me!”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

In the end Eve settled on some ill fitting jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. They did at least fall under the ‘comfortable’ criteria.

As Niko pushed open the door leading to the hall, Eve felt as if her chest was about to explode. Had she ever felt this anxious before? She wasn’t sure.

The size of the hall was more intimate than Eve was expecting. She tried to take all of her surroundings in at once, her eyes darting from side to side in panic. From what she could tell there were about six couples milling about the room. All of varying ages. Some were chatting animatedly, others were doing light stretches, there was even an elderly couple sat towards the side who were in deep discussion with a tall, slender woman wearing tight workout leggings with matching vest top. It certainly left nothing to the imagination and Eve found herself taking in the toned form with somewhat awe.

“That must be her!”

An arm rudely thudding against her own interrupted her gazing and she looked up at Niko irritated.

“What?”

“That must be Oksana. Look, she’s walking towards us now”.

And _oh god_ she was.

Eve did not know where to look. She settled on an interesting looking stain on the floor not far from her feet.

“Hi, I’m Niko, we spoke on the phone!”

“Welcome Niko”

Eve is acutely aware that there is a friendly shake of the hands.

“And this is Eve, my wife”

She has to look up now, otherwise it will be incredibly rude. _God,_ why does she feel like such an anxious teenager all of a sudden?

Very slowly she glances up to find Oksana regarding her with quiet patience.

“Hi Eve”

Golden eyes soften, and a small smile plays around her lips as she reaches a hand out towards Eve.

“Hi, nice to err- meet you”

“Likewise”

Eve almost jumps out of her skin when their hands meet. Her hand is so _soft_ and fits into hers with ease. She puts it down to the heightened level of panic that is coursing through her veins as to why her skin seems to prickle at the contact.

There’s a very brief moment where no further words are exchanged yet hands are still entwined and it doesn’t take long for the interaction to begin to feel awkward, especially with Oksana still looking Eve directly in the eyes.

_Fuck_ , this woman is slightly intense.

Eve removes her hand almost _too_ forcefully for it to seem a normal thing to do and it definitely doesn’t help. She feels her cheeks suddenly begin to burn and she returns her gaze to the floor in embarrassment. Anything to break the stare-off which seemed to have been happening. What is this woman? A part time hypnotist as well?

“Shall we take a seat and discuss what you both are looking to take from these sessions?”

“That would be great, thanks” Niko grins, he had always wanted to learn how to dance properly and he couldn’t wait to get stuck in. He just hoped that Eve could learn to enjoy it as well.

“Listen up guys, if you begin practicing where we left off last week I’ll be round shortly to see how you’re getting on”.

She walks with such assured confidence, commands the room. Not with superiority but with a certain air of someone who knows their craft well.

“So what brings you both to Two to Tango?”

They all take a seat as couples around them take to their feet.

“Well…” Niko starts, placing a hand on a knee that is clearly trembling beside him.

“I’ve always wanted to learn to dance, properly.. and well, Eve has never been keen. I would just like for us to be able to dance together, my works dinner is coming up and well-“

“You don’t want to be the only couple left not joining in with the slow dance” Oksana interjects with a smile. Glancing sideways at Eve who honestly feels as if she’s about to be sick.

“Isn’t that romantic Eve?”

Eve begins to feel flushed again.

“I- I’ve just never been able to dance and I don’t enjoy trying”

There’s a hard indignance to her voice, almost like a child who’s refusing to go to bed.

“Well I hope I can change your mind”

There’s something truly genuine about Oksana’s tone and Eve allows herself the confidence to meet those soft eyes once more.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“I think what we’re aiming for is something like a simple waltz”

Oksana rises from her chair and motions with her arm, signalling that the couple should do the same.

“To begin with we’ll start with the hold, if you would stand facing each other please”

Eve takes a deep breath and wiggles her arms as though limbering up to run a marathon.

“Just relax” Niko mouths.

“Niko, let your left hand take Eve’s right and place your right hand firmly underneath her shoulder blade, that’s it”.

“Now Eve, your left hand goes on top of Niko’s shoulder with your arm resting on top of his”.

She tentatively does as asked.

Oksana hums and steps back, tips of her fingers touching her chin in thought.

“I see your arm is slightly down Eve, your elbow needs to be in line with your shoulder, may I?”.

Eve nods slightly and looks away in embarrassment.

Very gently, Oksana places fingers underneath her shoulder with the other hand supporting her elbow and she lifts upwards.

The touch is barely there, Oksana can sense how nervous Eve is and she appreciates the patience that is being shown her but with her elbow it’s skin on bare skin and there it is again, the faint prickling that was felt when their hands met earlier.

Eve’s heart takes a leap and she’s suddenly overcome with a wave of panic that makes her want to sprint out of the room that very second.

“Just like this ok, Eve?”

Oksana quietly demands Eve’s attention and _oh god_ , she doesn’t think she can do this.

Eve turns to glance at her arm, completely avoiding inquisitive eyes, an understanding smile and a jawline that Eve is pretty sure you could cut your finger on if you were to reach out and touch it. Not that it had been something that stood out at all, _definitely not._

“This is something you can easily practice at home, simply get comfortable with the hold, it can be a bit of a strain on the arms but after a while you get used to it”.

“You’re doing great honey” Niko whispers.

The fact that she was doing all of this just for him, made him beam with pride. It took a lot for Eve to step out of her comfort zone and although she looked positively terrified she was still here, rigid as a post but _here_.

“Ok, you can part ways now” Oksana almost chuckles.

Eve’s arms felt as if they were close to dropping off and the grimace displayed on her face gave her discomfort away.

“The base of the Waltz is something called the box step, have either of you heard of this before?”.

“Errr- I have”. Niko raises his hand.

“Geek” Eve ribs, almost rolling her eyes.

“Ooh, I’m impressed!”

Oksana raises her eyebrows and Eve suddenly feels the slightest of twists in her stomach that she was impressed with Niko and not her.

_An odd feeling to have about someone she had only just met._

Generally Eve couldn’t care less about trying to impress anyone, she had done enough to win Niko over all those years ago and that’s all that matters to her. Maybe she just didn’t like the thought of some model-like superwoman with amazing legs being impressed with her husband. Or maybe, just maybe, for some inexplicable reason she wanted to bring the same reaction out of Oksana.

“I won’t push you too far at the moment and the box step is simple enough to practice without a partner, if you would both watch me”.

They both look on as the slender Russian woman positions her arms as if holding onto an invisible man and proceeds to move her feet, taking wide steps to the side, forwards, to the side and back again.

Eve is mesmerised.

It’s such a simple action but she performs it with such fluidity. The perfect curves and lines of her body moving in synchronicity.

“Now why don’t you both try? Just follow my lead”

Eve’s eyes quickly dart around the room to check if anyone is watching her. But of course they aren’t. Some couples are doing a similar slow dance, others look serious and stern as they dramatically perform a tango, one younger pair outdo them all on energy as they kick and flick their feet in time to an imaginary beat of a Jive.

She sighs. _You can do this._

It really is no lie that Eve possesses two left feet and it doesn’t take her long to almost trip herself up.

She tries, she really tries. Again, and again, and again. But to no avail.

Face burning she huffs and turns away, eyes beginning to water with tears.

“This is a fucking waste of time”

She heads towards a corner of the room, she just wants to go home. Before she can make even more of a fool of herself.

Somewhere behind her she hears a quiet “allow me” and she’s shocked to feel soft fingers envelope her wrist. They don’t grip, they don’t squeeze, they don’t pull. A strange soothing heat seems to creep its way up Eve’s arm and she wipes the tears away from her face. Furious with herself.

“Hey”

Eve turns and her other wrist is soon introduced to the same searing yet soothing burn.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself ok? Some things take time, we don’t judge anyone here and I’ve got all the time in the world”.

Suddenly Eve feels as if her throat is closing up as thumbs begin rhythmic circles of the underside of her wrists. It’s as though Oksana is attempting to steady the thumping pulse she feels underneath her skin and Eve’s eyes widen. This is highly unusual and bordering on inappropriate with someone you aren’t familiar with but oddly, in amongst everything and a few _very_ deep breaths she begins to feel her heart slow its hammering in her chest.

“I- I think I want to go home now”

“That’s ok, I completely understand. Will I be seeing you again?”

Eve is almost taken aback by the question. Her mind is pulling her in a hundred different directions, she feels awkward, she feels embarrassed and she really, _really_ wants a bath.

“I don’t know, sorry”

Oksana nods and Eve is almost certain that she is losing her mind but she could of sworn that the golden brown warmth of her eyes dimmed very briefly.

“May I suggest something? I know this was probably a bit too much at once today and, you don’t have to but- I also offer one on one tutoring. If you would be more comfortable? With nobody else around. Just me and you. We can take it as slow as you need and you’ll have my undivided attention”.

Oksana must have felt Eve’s pulse begin to quicken once more as her lips quirk up at the corners.

“I’ll think about it, ok? We’ve got your number, I’ll let you know”.

Eve smiles. She genuinely smiles.

“I hope to hear from you”.

Then the warmth is gone, as sudden as it rose up Eve’s arms and charged throughout her body, it’s gone and there’s suddenly a chill in the air.

Eve shivers and wraps her arms across her chest, desperate to feel it again.

She watches as Oksana chats briefly with Niko before beginning a steady walk around the hall, surveying her students with interest.

What Eve doesn’t realise is that once her back is turned Oksana’s eyes are on her and up until the door shuts quietly behind her, they don’t move an inch.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Eve dips lower into the bubbles and lets the water glide over her body.

Her eyes close and she sighs in relaxation.

She tries to forget the traumatic evening she’s just had and wills herself to think about anything other than the embarrassment of not being able to perform the most simplest of steps in front of a world champion dancer.

Maybe she can shove that intrusive thought to the back of her mind, _for now_. But there are many other things that she simply cannot.

She finds herself spiralling and she really needs to stop but-

The way Oksana moves, the lines and curves of her body which surely were sculpted by an angel, the way her eyes are so expressive, how they change so easily, the way her lips quirk upwards, how Eve’s skin reacted every single time she touched her, the way she shivered when that contact was lost, how she immediately craved to feel it again.

Eve swallowed thickly.

This isn’t normal, especially for Eve. She never feels like this.

She can’t even remember the last time her own husband’s touch made her body seem to come alive like a lit firework.

Her eyes fly open and she’s shocked to realise that the entire time she’s been daydreaming she’s been idly drawing patterns with her fingers along the inside of her thigh.

She moves to grab her hand with the other, as if this is the only way she can get herself to stop.

_Fuck._

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to tell me your thoughts and come shout at me on tumblr if you want to! @saphiiiic


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